Briar Cliff University Media Announcement

BCU Announces Commencement Ceremonies and Honored Candidates for Graduation

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Briar Cliff University will host the baccalaureate liturgy and commencement ceremony to honor BCU’s 2010 candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees. Briar Cliff’s baccalaureate mass will be at 6 p.m., Friday, May 14, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany, 10^th and Douglas Streets, Sioux City. BCU’s 79^th commencement ceremony will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 15, at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce Street, Sioux City.

William T. Mangan, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs, will present the 2010 degree candidates. Beverly A. Wharton, president, will confer the degrees and deliver the charge to graduates.

At the Commencement, graduates also will receive a San Damiano crucifix as a symbol of their unique educational experience at Briar Cliff – a Catholic Franciscan university. Special honorary awards also will be given during the Commencement ceremony, including the Presidential Distinguished Leadership Award, the Briar Cliff Medal and the Spirit of Saint Francis Award.

Motorists should note that Pierce Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets will be closed from 7 a.m. through 3 p.m. for Briar Cliff’s Commencement.

The 2010 valedictorian is Tara Brockman, and the salutatorian is Tamara Landon. A Denison, Iowa, native, Brockman is biology major with a double minor in chemistry and psychology. After graduation, she will attend Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine next fall. While at Briar Cliff, she has been involved in Student Government, General Education Committee, Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society, Sister Muriel Ford Circle of Mentors, Cliff Singers, Chamber Choir, Honors Program and the Science Club. Brockman is the daughter of Terry and Lori Brockman of Denison.

Tamara Landon is the 2010 salutatorian. Landon has a double major in business administration and marketing. After graduating from Briar Cliff, she will pursue a career in her field of study in the Midwest. While at BCU, she has been involved in Students in Free Enterprise, Sister Muriel Ford Circle of Mentors, Society of Human Resource Management, Student Panel, Delta Epsilon Sigma, intramurals and dance. Landon is the daughter of Steve and Deb Landon of Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Briar Cliff University graduation candidates Jason Bring, a traditional student from Lyons, Neb., and Charles Sellers, a non-traditional student from Sioux City, have been chosen by a selection panel to be the commencement speakers.

Bring will address the wide range of experiences students have from choosing Briar Cliff to succeeding because of BCU. Next fall, he will enter the School of Law at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Sellers’ speech will focus on how relationships at Briar Cliff help make a positive impact on the rest of the world. Sellers, manager of facilities services at St. Luke’s Regional Health Care System in Sioux City, will begin graduate studies at Briar Cliff in the fall for a master’s degree in human resource management.

Enrollment at Briar Cliff University is over 1,100 students from 28 states. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care, compassion and openness to all. For more information, please visit www.briarcliff.edu.